India's PM Modi condemns attack in Kashmir; vows to 'fight terrorism'
Indian army officers stand guard near Pahalgam in south Kashmir after assailants indiscriminately opened fire at tourists visiting Pahalgam, Indian controlled Kashmir, Apr 22, 2025. (Photo: AP/Dar Yasin)
PAHALGAM, India: India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country's resolve to "fight terrorism is unshakable" as its security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt on Wednesday (Apr 23), a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists killing 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.
Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia, decried the "heinous act" and pledged that the attackers "will be brought to justice", in a post on Facebook.
"Their evil agenda will never succeed.
"Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger."
He condemned the attack in the area and sent his condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.
He said that possible assistance is being provided to those affected, adding that he is praying for the injured to recover at the earliest.
The prime minister returned to India on Wednesday morning and held a meeting with India's national security adviser, foreign minister and other senior officials at the airport.
A special security Cabinet meeting was called for 12.30pm GMT, a defence ministry official said.
"We will not only reach those who have perpetrated this incident but also those who, sitting behind the scenes, have conspired to commit such acts on the soil of India," Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said ahead of the meeting.
"There will be a loud and clear response soon," he said at a memorial lecture for a former Indian Air Force chief.
The attack took place on Tuesday in the Baisaran valley in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory and the dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.
At least 17 people were also injured in the shooting.
It was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency has waned in recent years.
A little-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance", claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled in the region, spurring a "demographic change".
In a fresh statement on Wednesday, the group said that the "individuals targeted were not ordinary tourists; instead, they were linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies".
"It was not a typical tourist group but rather an undercover agency tasked with research," it said, adding that the attack should "serve as a wake-up call not only for Delhi but also for those who support Delhi’s questionable strategies".
"Resistance fighters plan to intensify their strategic attacks to ensure that those involved in undermining ... (the) resistance struggle face appropriate consequences," it warned.
India's government has not commented on the group's claims.
Hundreds of security forces rushed to the Pahalgam area soon after the attack, and a massive combing operation was launched in the forests there, two security sources told Reuters.
About 100 people suspected of having been militant sympathisers in the past were called to police stations and questioned, they added.
Police also released sketches of three of the four suspected attackers.
The attackers were dressed in traditional long shirts and loose trousers, and one of them was wearing a bodycam, one security source said, adding that there were about 1,000 tourists and about 300 local service providers and workers when the attack took place.
They opened fire at three spots in Baisaran valley, which is popular among tourists for its lush meadows and pristine landscape surrounded by dense pine forests on all sides.
Visitors have to trek or hire ponies to reach the spot where there are adventure sports facilities such as ziplining and zorbing.
Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance is a front for Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. Pakistan has said it only provides moral and diplomatic support to the insurgency in Kashmir.
"We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.
"We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery."
KASHMIR SHUTDOWN
On Wednesday, over a dozen local organisations called for a shutdown in the federal territory to protest against the attack on tourists, whose rising numbers have helped the local economy.
Many schools also suspended classes for the day in protest.
The shutdown was total, and protest marches were carried out in parts of the Kashmir Valley, with people shouting slogans such as "Stop killing innocents", "Tourists are our lives", "It is an attack on us".
"I want to say to the people of the country that we are ashamed, Kashmir is ashamed," former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement.
"We are standing with you in this time of crisis."
Airlines were operating extra flights from Srinagar, the summer capital of the territory, as visitors were rushing out of the region, officials said.
"It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests," serving Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on X, adding that the main highway connecting Srinagar to the rest of the country, which was damaged by heavy rain, had been opened for one-way traffic out of Srinagar to help tourists leaving by road.
Television visuals showed tourists carrying their bags to taxis and filing out of a hotel in Srinagar.
"How can we continue our trip in such a situation?" Sameer Bhardwaj, a tourist from New Delhi, told news agency ANI. "We need to prioritise our safety."
Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu's office said four special flights from Srinagar - two to Delhi and two to Mumbai - have been arranged, with additional flights kept on standby.
The aviation regulator said there was an "unexpected demand" from tourists wanting to return from Kashmir and asked airlines to consider waiving cancellation and rescheduling fees.
While some local tourist operators said they were already getting cancellations for the upcoming peak summer season, the local unit of the Travel Agents Federation of India condemned the attack.
"We will continue to encourage travel to the Valley and stand strong against those who seek to spread fear and unrest," local unit chairman Shamim Shah said in a statement.
Militant violence has afflicted Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, since the anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.
India revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.
That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region. The dispute has spurred bitter animosity and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have been rare. The last deadly incident took place in June 2024 when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.
